Fresh from its stunning victory in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP is sending more than 16,000 ‘vistaraks’ across the state to “approach” ground-level workers and booth-level leaders of rival parties in an effort to persuade them to join the ruling party. These vistaraks, BJP sources said, have been told to move swiftly and make most of the turmoil in the other parties, especially the BSP, SP and Congress.

“Ground-level workers in SP, BSP and Congress are demoralised after the defeat in the assembly elections. Workers of both SP and BSP are in a state of confusion because of internal conflicts of their party leaders. This is the best time to approach these ground-level workers and welcome them into the BJP fold. Workers on the ground are the strength of any party and play a crucial role during elections. The vistaraks will expand the BJP reach,” a senior BJP leader said.

The induction of these workers, the leader said, will help the BJP in the upcoming local body elections since the SP and BSP too are contesting on their symbols. “We will not let Opposition parties revive their fortunes at the ground level,” the leader said.

Asked about the move to woo workers of other parties, state BJP spokesperson Chandra Mohan said, “Deendayalji (Deendayal Upadhyaya) never considered anyone untouchable in politics. We are meeting everyone because BJP believes in sabka saath-sabka vikas.”

The vistaraks have started moving at the sector-level, meeting “key voters” from different sections of society and workers of other political parties. This will continue until May 25. They are, what the party calls, short-term vistaraks and include senior state office bearers. BJP sources said “key voters” have been divided into 38 categories.

The vistaraks have also been asked to reach out to prominent Muslims, workers of RSS offshoots, Hindu religious heads and people at maths, temples, Buddhist sites and monasteries, gurudwaras, Jain temples, Durga Puja samitis, Ganesh puja samitis and Ram Leela samitis.

Chandra Mohan said the campaign will expand the party footprint, popularise works of central and state governments and propagate the ideology of Deendayal Upadhyaya in his birth centenary year.